Block (XYZ -3.84%) was once a high-flying stock. In the five years leading up to their peak in August 2021, shares were up an astonishing 2,430%. Growth was fantastic, and the market was warming up to this innovative financial services business.

It’s been a disappointing story since that peak. As of July 14, this fintech stock traded 76% below the record, with a 21% decline just this year. The growth has slowed, to be sure, but Block’s profits have been soaring. And the stock now trades at a compelling forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.7.

Should you buy shares right now and hold them for 20 years? The answer depends on one crucial factor that’s becoming more important to Block’s business.

Image source: Block.

Two powerful ecosystems

Investors should first understand that this company owns and operates two powerful ecosystems. Square serves small- and medium-size merchants, giving them various commerce tools to help them manage and grow their operations. There are point-of-sale solutions, as well tools to help manage inventory, payroll, loyalty programs, and many other things.

In the first quarter (ended March 31), Square posted year-over-year 9% growth in gross profit. And it certainly benefits from switching costs, as these customers become locked in once they start using more of the segment’s offerings.

Block also caters to individuals. The company’s Cash App is a personal finance platform that allows consumers to handle basic tasks, like sending money to others, setting up direct deposit, and buying stocks. Cash App has 57 million users, and it’s growing faster than Block is.

Block’s Bitcoin bet

In 2021, CEO Jack Dorsey talked about his appreciation for Bitcoin (BTC -1.37%). “I don’t think there is anything more important in my lifetime to work on,” he said at a conference that year. His view probably stemmed from the potential for the cryptocurrency to boost economic empowerment and financial freedom, values that match Block’s vision.

In the years since, it’s become clear that Block’s success over the next 20 years will depend more on the trajectory of Bitcoin. And this is perhaps one of the most important factors that investors need to think about.

Block first purchased the crypto for its own balance sheet in October 2020. The company currently owns 8,584 bitcoins, valued at more than $1 billion, according to bitcointreasuries.net. If the crypto’s price keeps going up, the fintech will continue to see unrealized gains.

And the business is also working on real-world Bitcoin initiatives, all supporting Dorsey’s vision to grow its adoption. He thinks it could become a global currency, a view partly supported by the possible rise of artificial intelligence agents that will need to transact with one another using a decentralized, digital, and borderless asset.

Block recently announced that merchants would soon gain functionality to accept cryptocurrency payments from customers on Square. Block sells a Bitcoin self-custody hardware wallet, called Bitkey. And with Proto, it’s developing mining equipment.

Bitcoin doesn’t yet move the financial needle for the company. Cash App started allowing users to trade it in 2018. And in the first quarter this year, this activity brought in just $65 million in gross profit, or about 3% of Block’s entire total.

However, if the digital coin’s price continues to rise in the years ahead, it’s not difficult to see how Block would benefit. Sales of its hardware wallet and mining equipment could soar. Individuals and merchants wanting to use Bitcoin in some way could flock to Block to access various services.

To be clear, Block still looks like a pure-play fintech enterprise right now. But anyone who wants to buy and hold the stock for the next 20 years must factor Bitcoin into their decision-making. Put another way, if you’re not bullish on Bitcoin, then you probably shouldn’t be bullish on Block.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic arrive on July 25, and Samsung has its trademark trade-in deals with enhanced credit to tempt long-time fans into upgrading. But should you upgrade to the Galaxy Watch 8, or should you hold off for the Galaxy Watch 9?

As the person who reviewed the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic, owns the Galaxy Watch 7, reviewed the first-gen Galaxy Watch Ultra, and is currently testing the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, I feel more than qualified to answer the question!

I’ll talk about the polarizing Ultra-fication of the Watch 8 lineup, something my colleague Andrew discussed in his Galaxy Watch 8 hands-on. But whatever your tastes, upgraded specs and new Samsung Health features should matter just as much as design.

Here’s the gist, if you’re in a hurry: Galaxy Watch 7 owners have only one tentative reason to upgrade, but with a Galaxy Watch 6 (Classic) or older, you should be seriously tempted.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 isn’t as different as it looks

If you compare the Galaxy Watch 8 vs. 7, it’s immediately apparent how similar they are. They share the 3nm Exynos W1000 chip, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, dual-band GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity standards, and the latest BioActive Sensor suite with extra HR LEDs.

If you’re switching from the Watch 6 to the Watch 8, however, you do get a faster, more battery-efficient processor, dual-band GPS, more accurate health sensors with more data, faster charging, and doubled storage. Slightly more tempting, right?

Samsung slightly switched up its display sizes with the Watch 8: It measures 1.34 and 1.47 inches instead of 1.3 and 1.5, with a 326 pixels-per-inch ratio that’s right in the usual ballpark. I doubt most people will notice that the display is different from previous years, aside from the extra brightness.

The Galaxy Watch 8 is 1.1mm skinnier than the Watch 7, or 2mm thinner than the Watch 8 Classic. So even if it looks thick in photos, it’s the opposite because Samsung redesigned its internals to shrink things down.

The photos above and below show what the Galaxy Watch 8 looks like in person. Active-style Galaxy Watches have cases that hug the display edge so it feels like one seamless package; now, the bezelless display looks more isolated and elevated, and the squircle aluminum case stands out more.

Personally, I’ve always found Galaxy Watches to be comfortable and functional, but fairly boring and far from a “normal” watch look. So I don’t mind the Galaxy Watch 8 design experiment, because it switches things up after years of monotonous repetition.

Both the Watch 8 and 7 look artificial; the newer model just leans into this a bit more. Samsung superfans might dislike it, but since this squircle redesign is probably here to stay, you may want to try it out and see if you like it in person.

My colleague Andrew prefers the Watch 8 Classic look more and doesn’t mind heavier watches, but he admitted that the Watch 8 is light enough to “forget” you’re wearing it. With the default band attached, the Watch 8 40mm and 44mm will only weigh about 52–56g, very reasonable and comfortable for a smartwatch.

No other smartwatch looks like the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (except the Ultra)

Galaxy Watch 6 Classic owners may feel conflicted about the Watch 8 Classic look, because the Ultra chic runs directly counter to the idea of a “classic” smartwatch design. But if you’re strictly buying for the rotating bezel paired with two generations of upgrades, the Watch 8 Classic fits the bill nicely.

Where the Watch 8 display looks naked above the square-ish case, the Watch 8 Classic fills that gap with the zero-to-sixty scale border and the rotating bezel. From your top-down perspective wearing it, the Watch 8 Classic looks stylish and doesn’t seem “unnatural.”

To others, however, its flat sides may look bulky, calling attention to the fact that it’s a smartwatch.

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You may be rightly concerned that the extra steel casing makes the Watch 8 Classic overly heavy. In practice, both my Watch 8 Classic 46mm and Watch 6 Classic 47mm weigh 86g or 3oz. And the newer model is 0.3mm thinner, though you can barely tell the difference in person.

The bulk does have an impact, because Samsung gave its Watch 8 Classic a smaller 1.34-inch display; there’s no 1.5-inch option this time because (presumably) it would be way too heavy. You’ll have to accept that visual downgrade, though you get an extra 1,000 nits of brightness, the Quick Button, 64GB of storage, and the other Watch 8 upgrades as consolation.

It’s clear that Samsung made the Classic a more affordable spin-off of the Ultra, without the benefit of an extra day of battery life. It’s too heavy for casual smartwatch fans, but those willing to wear a heavier watch might want the Ultra, or a cheaper, long-lasting option like the OnePlus Watch 3.

Ultimately, long-time Classic fans will have to accept these changes for the rotating bezel, which feels just as seamless and natural to use as it did with the Watch 6 Classic.

Your Watch 8 upgrade decision will come down to Samsung Health

The Galaxy Watch 8 launches with Wear OS 6 running One UI 8 Watch, with major new health metrics: carotene levels for your Antioxidant Index, heart health with Vascular Load, personalized training plans with Running Coach, and circadian rhythm for Bedtime Guidance.

I assumed that because the Watch 8 and 7 share the same health sensor suite, the Watch 7 would track all of this data once it got the update in a few months. I shouldn’t have assumed!

Samsung’s blog post footnotes warn that Vascular Load and Antioxidant Index will be “only available with the Galaxy Watch Ultra or later released Galaxy Watch series,” even though the Ultra (2024) and Watch 7 came out the same year with the same sensors. Oddly, the Running Coach is locked to the Watch 7 and up.

Samsung knew Ultra customers would expect to get every feature, but must have decided that tantalizing Galaxy Watch 7 customers with feature FOMO was fair game. It feels a bit cynical to lock features on a device that’s just a year old to push people to upgrade.

As for older Galaxy Watch owners, these features (and the AGEs Index introduced last year) require the latest BioSensor to work, so you’d have to upgrade regardless.

So, are these tools useful enough to justify an upgrade? To me, it depends on whether these features are accurate enough to live up to Samsung’s hype, and that’s something I’ll be testing and posting about on Android Central over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I can make your decision easier before the 25th.

Should you upgrade to the Galaxy Watch 8 or Watch 8 Classic?

If you have a Galaxy Watch 4 or 4 Classic, I applaud you for your patience, but since they’re about to run out of software support, you really should upgrade while Samsung is giving extra trade-in value for them.

Galaxy Watch 5 models have thick-bordered, dim displays and are two generations behind on Exynos chips with less RAM. It’s not totally outdated yet, but I’d take the $150 in trade-in credit from Samsung to swap.

Watch 5 Pro or Watch 6 Classic owners can get $250 in trade-in credit for a Watch 8 Classic or Watch Ultra (2025), which makes the purchase slightly less painful.

If you have a Galaxy Watch 6 or (especially) 7, you can hold out on upgrading to the Watch 8 if you’re hoping this design is a one-and-done. I’m skeptical, but it’ll depend on whether this generation fails to turn around Samsung’s declining smartwatch sales.

Current prices for XRP It is emphasized by It ranges around $2.5 over the last three days. but, This low price hasn’t stopped Luxurious XRP price ideas from what lies in the hearts of XRP Bull traders and enthusiasts. A bold theory suggesting that XRP could surge to $10,000 against the backdrop of growing confidence has come from crypto analysts. This luxurious price range is much higher than most Prediction based on technical analysis. In particular, this analyst relied on XRP’s fundamentals in XRP to show a scenario where prices reach this point.

Analysts predict that XRP could reach $10,000 between 2027 and 2030

The theory introduced by a crypto analyst named Remi Relief on social media platform X focuses on the long-term vision of XRP, reaching $10,000 thanks to its extensive adoption in financial institutions and the full activation of its utility capabilities.

Related readings

In a post dated May 12th, the analyst I predicted that This massive XRP price point $10,000 could come true between 2027 and 2030. He revealed that forecasts do not rely on sudden events or institutional pricing, but not on the natural outcomes of XRP capabilities with the maximum potential in the global financial system. However, he also said that such price ranges are The manifesto will already be in 2026.

Original post, Anal BuildingT has recently expanded For a more detailed vision for the $10,000 XRP. He claimed the existence of two independent XRP Ledgers. One claimed to be for the retail market, while the other claimed that it would only have access to around 1,700 institutions and private companies operating under the NDA. According to him, these private participants may already be running tests at dramatically different price levels, including the $10,000 mark. He linked this development to recent advances in CBDC exams, particularly in France.

Analysts also mentioned a report discussing the efficiency and performance of various digital currencies and payment platforms in terms of trading per second (TPS) in 2022. The report focused on the CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) test network. According to the report, Ripple Private Ledger had 1,500 TPS in 2022 Digital Euro testing. Ripple is not yet on the scale of Alipay or Hamilton Project operations, but future predictions for blockchain TPS are still unknown.

A possibility of an underground price of $10,000 for Altcoin

Crypto analysts’ theory is based on the future in which XRP supports key financial operations at fixed values ​​across private networks. The most provocative element In theory, it includes potential ripples that potentially set the underground price of XRP at $10,000, which is never infringed.

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In this scenario, if a price threatens to fall below that mark, decentralized technologies such as Chainlink Oracle and IOTA-based AI mechanisms intervene to stabilize through automated trading.

At the time of writing, XRP has fallen 2.2% over the past 24 hours, trading at $2.40.

Getty Images Featured Images, Charts on tradingView.com

Real Vision’s chief crypto analyst says that it’s hard to be anything but bullish toward Bitcoin (BTC), identifying one catalyst that could send the crypto king flying later this year.

In a new thread, crypto strategist Jamie Coutts tells his 36,000 followers on the social media platform X that a recent move in the US Dollar Index (DXY) has historically predated a rally for the flagship digital asset.

“When looking at this recent move in the DXY through a historical lens, it’s challenging to be anything but bullish. I ran a signal screen for three-day negative moves of more than -2% and -2.5% and found they have all occurred at Bitcoin bear market troughs (inflection points) or mid-cycle bull markets (trend continuations).

As always with Bitcoin, the statistical significance of medium-term signals is severely constrained by dataset history (not enough), but this is an objective data point to keep in mind.”

According to Coutts, in 2013, there were eight occasions when the DXY declined by at least 2.5%. BTC went up each time afterward with an average return of 37% in 90 days.

When looking at when the DXY declined less than 2% during the same time frame, the data shows 18 instances, 17 of which saw BTC climbing afterward with an average return of 31.6% in 90 days.

Coutts goes on to say that the stage is set for BTC to skyrocket in a couple of months.

“This week had it all. The DXY saw its 4th largest negative three-day move – massively liquidity-positive. Just as Bitcoin nuked and had its worst Feb in a decade. Meanwhile, in altcoin land, the Top 200 crypto index puked one more time. The chart shows that 365 days of New Lows hit 47%, a hallmark of capitulation in a bull cycle. The stage is set for a new all-time high in Bitcoin and Top 200 aggregate market cap by May.”

Bitcoin is trading for $87,881 at time of writing, a fractional increase on the day.

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Emily Nicolle, a crypto reporter for Bloomberg, gave her take on Bitcoin as the firstborn cryptocurrency plunged 13% and entered bear territory. This might have been due to macroeconomic uncertainty and political factors.

‘Very Risk-On Asset’

Nicolle said in a Bloomberg TV interview that the current movement in Bitcoin is highly correlated with the changes in the macroeconomic landscape, adding that anything that happens on Wall Street could affect the cryptocurrency.

The crypto reporter explained that investors can never discount the impact of the macroenvironment on Bitcoin, saying, “Everything that’s happening to stocks that knocks on crypto too.”

Nicolle described Bitcoin as “very risk-on assets.” “So, when there’s turmoil happening in the S&P 500, you’re going to see that in Bitcoin as well. And so that is definitely catapulting this,” she added.

The analyst added that aside from the macroeconomic environment, the cryptocurrency sector went through a rough period. “We’ve had a 1. 5 billion hack last week. We’ve had some turmoil in terms of what’s going on in politics as well,” she continued.

Only a little over a week ago, the cryptocurrency faced a setback after a North Korean-based hacker group stole an estimated $1.5 billion worth of crypto from Bybit, which could be the largest cryptocurrency hacking in history.

“In terms of what people are expecting to see going forward, it’s still very much up in the air as to how Bitcoin could perform even in, even today,” Nicolle said in the interview.

Political Uncertainty

Nicolle also noted that political uncertainty is another factor driving Bitcoin into bearish territory. United States President Donald Trump vowed to establish clearer regulations on cryptocurrency, but these have not been met.

“Some of the things that Trump promised to do on the campaign trail have not yet come to force and those are the kind of catalysts that we’re looking to as potential upsides for Bitcoin in the weeks ahead, things like a strategic Bitcoin reserve,” she explained.

The crypto analyst pointed out that the macroenvironment is weighing very heavily on Bitcoin’s potential. “If we don’t get any movement on that, if things don’t start to look up elsewhere, Bitcoin will continue to be down,” she predicted.

Closely Watching The $70k Mark

Nicolle said that crypto traders are closely watching the $70,000 mark, which is the crucial psychological and technical support zone.

“We’re all looking at about the $70,000 mark at the minute. So, if it does continue to go down, which is kind of to be expected in the current environment, then that is the next point at which we’re going to be starting to think. That is where a lot of the risk is happening,” she explained.

The analyst described Bitcoin as the “tide that lifts all boats” so when it goes up, other cryptocurrencies also go up too. “But those smaller cryptocurrencies are hit harder when there’s tumult in markets. They are just much more volatile by comparison,” she added.

Featured image from FairPlanet, chart from TradingView